TEB VERDICT

With the hard run of fixtures against consecutive top six sides coming to an end for Palace at Stamford Bridge, it is safe to say the Eagles are unlucky not to have any points to show for their fight, determination and versatility. Despite being in the relegation zone with eight matches to go, Palace are just one point from safety and with a somewhat less challenging run in on its way, showing the same characteristics should just about see us survive.

13 WAYNE HENNESSEY (7.3) – Made some great saves to keep Chelsea within reach but these were unfortunately cancelled out with a couple of mistakes including his continued inability to command his area.

29 AARON WAN-BISSAKA (7.8) – Another fantastic performance from the young full back against very strong opposition and giving Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Joel Ward unexpected competition for places.

5 JAMES TOMKINS (7.3) – Continuing to prove why the club spent £10milion on him back in 2016. Another impressive performance, blocking a handful of goal bound efforts.

34 MARTIN KELLY (6.3) – Despite the very unlucky own goal, Kelly had a decent game against the pacey and tricky Chelsea attack.

3 PATRICK VAN AANHOLT (7.5) – Followed up his goal against United with another against his former club. Also continued to support Jeffery Schlupp with overlaps which are becoming an important characteristic of this Palace side.

28 LUKA MILIVOJEVIC (6.7) – Continued his solid enforcer role in the centre of the pitch but seemed to go quiet when doing so for a large proportion of the game.

18 JAMES MCARTHUR (6.6) – Put in his usual shift and worked hard to win back possession on multiple occasions.

15 JEFFREY SCHLUPP (6.3) – Had a better game against United last Monday and looked low on energy and pace towards the hour mark. Replaced by 44 JAIRO RIEDEWALD (6.2) on 75 minutes who got involved quickly, adding some much needed energy in midfield.

9 ALEXANDER SORLOTH (6.5) – Very unlucky not to get his first Palace and Premier League goal due to a diabolical dive and decision from Gary Cahill and referee Anthony Taylor. Some fans are suggesting he is not good enough for the Premier League after only his third game – let’s at least give him until April, please?

10 ANDROS TOWNSEND (6.5) – Took a powerful shot that could have been a goal of the month contender early on which found its way just over the bar. Despite the shot, he was quiet for the rest of the game which could be down to the knock he took inside the first twenty minutes having been a doubt before kick off. Replaced by 14LEE CHUNG-YONG (6.1) on 81 minutes who did not have much time to make any impact of note.

17 CHRISTIAN BENTEKE (6.3) – The scapegoat for Palace’s failure this season did not do himself any justice against the Blues and was subbed after half time. Clearly a player very low on confidence but we need to play to his strengths. Replaced by 11 WILFRIED ZAHA (7.5) at half time who changed the game in favour of the visitors. Looked lively after his injury lay off and gave Chelsea lots to think about. So much so that the hosts often put three men on him which gave Palace space elsewhere on the pitch.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID (courtesy of BBC SPORT)

ROY HODGSON: I was very disappointed in the first half. It wasn’t the football I know we can play. The second half was better, much more like performances I’ve been seeing and we can count ourselves a little unlucky. We had a goal chalked off from Sorloth – on another day maybe that isn’t. It’s great to have Zaha back but we need to be careful. He’s a wonderful footballer who makes us better, but we can’t think we’ll be fine because he’s back, he’s one player out of eleven. He’s a footballer, not a magician.

ANTONIO CONTE: We created a lot of chances to score a lot of goals. We deserved to win. We played a good game, especially in the first half against a good Crystal Palace. They are a good team fighting a lot to avoid relegation. We tried to finish the game, but I think their goalkeeper made some good saves and we hit the post. We must be pleased with the performance of the team and prepare for Barcelona.

MATCH STATISTICS

The Who Scored man of the match was WILLIAN (9.5) while OLIVIER GIROUD (7) had the most shots. The most tackles were made by CESAR AZPILICUETA and JAMES TOMKINS (4) made the most tackles as EDEN HAZARD and WILLIAN (8) were equal in the dribbling stakes.

CHELSEA

Team rating: 7.04

Total shots: 27

Shots on target: 11

Possession: 63%

Pass success: 87%

Dribbles: 19

Aerials won: 19

Tackles: 17

Corners: 12

Dispossessed: 12

PALACE

Team rating: 6.77

Total shots: 9

Shots on target: 2

Possession: 37%

Pass success: 79%

Dribbles: 14

Aerials won: 14

Tackles: 18

Corners: 3

Dispossessed: 12

POSITION IN THE TABLE

The loss to Chelsea keeps Palace in 18th position, level with Stoke City on 27 points who are 19th and a point away from 17th placed Southampton. With games against Huddersfield and Bournemouth coming up, the Eagles will feel six points are a must.

Dan Crame

Dan is a season ticket holder in the Arthur Wait and is a regular contributor to TEB and its social media platforms. Can also be found binge watching series', keeping fit and occasionally chatting on the radio.